A Hong Kong government trade office employee charged in the UK over allegations of spying has pleaded not guilty, with trial set to begin in March.
The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey, in London. File photo: Wikicommons.
Bill Yuen, a manager of Hong Kong’s trade office in London, appeared at the Central Criminal Court in London on Thursday alongside Peter Wai, a former UK border officer. The pair pleaded not guilty to spying charges, according to local media.
Yuen, 63, and Wai, 38, were charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and engaging in foreign interference under UK’s security law. They have been accused of gathering intelligence and surveillance against Hong Kong democracy activists in the UK and allegedly broke into a residence in London in May.
While China accused the UK of “cooking up” charges and interfering in Hong Kong’s affairs, the UK said China-linked espionage in its territories was “not acceptable.”
The case also called into question the role of Hong Kong’s overseas trade offices. Currently, Hong Kong runs 14 such offices in foreign countries, including three in the US.
